


From Embers

by assortedfragments



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Angst with a Happy Ending, Haley is a BAMF, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Beta Read, POV Alternating, Self-Discovery, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:22:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24856024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/assortedfragments/pseuds/assortedfragments
Summary: How hard can it be to run a farm by yourself? Colton is pretty sure summer camp was never this hard.Has Alex finally found a wingman? Will Haley find someone that actually understands modern culture? Stardew Valley is about to get a new resident and no one truly understands the changes that will cause.*based loosely on the Stardew Valley Expanded mod, with plenty of personal liberties taken by the author*
Relationships: Alex/Male Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 62





	1. Out With the Old

The back seat of the too-small sedan was cramped beyond belief. Bags over-filled with fruit and vegetables threatened to burst at the seams with every bump in the road as the car cruised through the night. Amidst the produce sat Colton, securely in his booster seat. His hands traced the wax seal on the envelope he’d received earlier that evening. In the brief flashes of light from passing streetlamps, the purple seal and cursive lettering stood out in stark relief from the yellowed envelope. Colton’s nail caught at the edge of the wax, pulling off a small fragment.

“Careful there, buddy.” Colton looked up to see his dad watching him with a fond expression from the front passenger seat. His face looked tired, but his ever-present smile hadn’t faded. “Your grandpa said that letter was very special, so you need to take good care of it.”

Colton nodded with as much determination as a 6-year-old could muster and placed the letter into the pocket of his backpack, which was tucked between two paper bags of… turnips? He couldn’t really be sure. Whatever the vegetables were, he was sure they tasted awful. He had been so excited when the nice people from Pelican Town had loaded so much stuff into their car. That was until he saw that said stuff was not, in fact, presents or candy, but was mostly the type of food that Colton preferred to sneak off his plate when no one was watching.

His dad turned back around after he was sure that Colton wasn’t going to crush the letter once the toddler inevitably fell asleep. He turned to his wife, whose focus remained steadfastly on the road. Always a stickler for the rules. “Are you sure it was good for us to bring Colton to see his grandpa like that? Isn’t he a little young for all of this?”

Colton’s mom continued to gaze straight ahead as she answered, “we’ve had this conversation, what? Ten times by now?” The corner of her lips curved ever so slightly upwards as she nudged her husband with her elbow, hands still precisely at their 10- and 2-o’clock positions on the wheel. “We bought all those books on parenting, I know you’ve read them all at least five times.” She chuckled, a sound that never failed to put Colton at ease. “They all agreed that children shouldn’t be shielded from death. Besides, my father asked us to visit one last time and he hasn’t actually- I mean, he’s still-”

“Yes, yes, I suppose you’re right. I just hope he doesn’t grow up and regret...” His dad waved his hands in a random path through the air. “I don’t even know what he’d regret, but my concern still stands.”

“Hey, now! We’re great parents, our kid is gonna grow up perfectly well-adjusted.”

His dad suddenly coughed as if he’d drank some water too quickly. “Hey! Don’t jinx it!”

Colton knew these types of conversations between his parents could last for eons, and Colton’s input was never needed. He looked out the window, trying to make out any horses or cows in the dark fields that sped by. His mind wandered back to his grandpa, lying in his bed. He’d looked sick, but Colton’s mom had explained that it was just ‘grandpa’s time’. Whatever that meant.

_ There will come a day when you feel crushed by the burden of modern life and your bright spirit will fade before a growing emptiness. When that happens, my boy, you’ll be ready for this gift. _

The young boy had no idea what those words meant, and the ‘gift’ just seemed like the type of envelopes that Christmas or birthday cards came in. Maybe there was money inside? He was confused about why he didn’t get to open it right then and had stomped over to his parents to complain, but his mom pressed a juice box into his hands and he’d forgotten all about being upset. The rest of the day had passed in a blur and they were now well on their way back home.

His eyelids were growing heavier by the second. He only caught snippets of his parents’ conversation, who had changed topics to someone named ‘Clara’. His mom’s face was lined with concern. “I hear she hasn’t been doing well, I hope she recovers soon. Her son is just about Colton’s age, it would be awful if something were to happen.” Colton didn’t get to hear his dad’s response, already drifting off to sleep as the car rumbled onto the exit to Grampleton under an endless expanse of stars.

\---

“WAKE UP AND FACE THE CRUSHING WEIGHT OF EVERYDAY EXISTENCE!”

Colton groaned and pulled his covers more tightly around himself. “Five more minutes!”

A sudden weight plopped onto the creaky twin bed or, more precisely, directly on top of Colton. His roommate was never one for personal space. “Cole, my darling, my buddy, my constant headache.” The blob under the blankets offered no response. “Dude! You’ve already slept through literally all of your alarms, get up or you’re gonna get fired and then you’ll have to move back to Grampleton with your parents and you’ll miss out on the fabulous city adventures of Mel.”

He slowly peeked out from under his comforter. “What fabulous adventures? You barely leave the house.”

Mel’s bright grin was entirely out of place at 6 am. Honestly, there should be a law against being this happy before sunrise. Unfortunately for Colton, in the three years since they’d moved in together after college, Mel had become immune to his sleepy glares. “Exactly. All of my best adventures are yet to come and you won’t want to miss them! Now seriously, get up. Joja won’t hesitate to fire your ass.” 

Like the witch that she was, Mel took the comforter with her as she left the bedroom. Despite his complaining, Colton didn’t know what he would do without her. She was his closest friend and as much as he wished she was wrong, he had to agree with everything that she’d said. He still made sure to bump into every piece of furniture on the way to the bathroom, muttering curses the entire way.

Mel wore her pilfered comforter like a cape, happily crunching through a plate of toast slathered with orange marmalade. “I almost feel sorry for you. I always said you should have majored in theater and then maybe you could make some money off of those dramatics.” She giggled at her own joke, spraying crumbs all over the carpet. She’d no doubt deny that they were her fault when Colton ended up with socks covered in sad, sticky bits of bread later on.

Instead of responding, Colton threw his middle finger out in Mel’s general direction. The answering cackle insinuated that she felt precisely zero remorse about her teasing. A glance at his wristwatch informed him that he needed to be at the bus stop in twelve minutes. “Okay… guess I’m going for more of a one-step face regime today.” He would never admit that he struggled to ever put on any more than some moisturizer most mornings. The expensive serums and essences seemed to be judging all of his decisions. He held up his hands in self-defense. “Don’t you even start with me.”

“Pleeease tell me you aren’t yelling at the lotions AGAIN. Honestly, those are your longest-running relationships, try not to fuck it up.” Apparently his best friend wasn’t planning to let up for a minute today. He ignored her, pulling on an outfit at random from his wardrobe and stealing the toast from her hands as he ran out the door.

“Thanks, Mel, love you! Have a great day lying around the house!”

Her eyebrows came together in a scowl as she stared at her now-empty hand. “Oh, I see you’ve got a deathwish.” In terms of threats, it was far from her best material. “And I WORK from home, I do graphic design FROM THIS HOUSE. It’s a real job!” The slamming door cut off anything more she might have said.

\---

The ride to work was uneventful and Colton got to his desk with two minutes to spare. The dingy cubicle was no less comforting than it had been every day before. The outlines of besuited executives were already hovering at the glass windows high above, hungry to swoop down on any hapless employee that makes even the tiniest mistake. Fucking vultures. The computer booted up with a groan, not unlike the ones Colton had uttered when he’d dismissed his first three alarms that morning. The ancient system was held together with the unending toil of an underpaid IT department and a prayer, but new computer systems never seemed to be on the admins’ radar.

Almost as if the thoughts of middle management failure had sent up a beacon of potential mutiny, Cindy, the department head, appeared. She was accompanied by her hallmark dense cloud of cloyingly sweet perfume. Her face knew only one expression: disappointment. Today was no exception. She threw down a large stack of papers, not caring that she knocked several folders off of Colton’s desk in the process.

“Colton. Company policy encourages you to arrive at least five minutes before the start of your shift. I’ll be making a note of your flagrant disregard for the rules that keep the Joja corporation running smoothly.” Her sneer invited argument, hungry for a chance to fire yet another employee. The red ‘TERMINATED’ sign two desks down was only the latest ended career in her wake. “However, that’s not why I’m here. Please look at these forms. Do they look familiar?”

“Uhhh these look like a bunch of my most recent reports.”

Her lacquered nails tapped out a staccato rhythm against her forearm. “I suppose some might agree with you. This sad semblance of… work,” she spoke as if saying so pained her, “is not properly formatted. I’m sure the cause is obvious to you. After all, you’ve certainly worked here long enough.” She stared pointedly at the hundreds of papers threatening to spill onto the floor.

Colton flipped through a few pages. “I’m sorry, but I can’t see the mistake I made.”

“You’re sorry? That’s the best you can muster?” She was now picking at her cuticles, shifting the impatient tapping to her foot. “Look closer. These reports are all in 11. point. font.” She emphasized each word with an emphatic hand gesture. “It should be 12 point font unless there’s some new memo about formatting that magically avoided my desk.”

“Oh, that’s an easy fix!” Maybe trying for cheerful would help? “But, excuse my saying, isn’t this all of my work from the last two weeks? If I’d have known, I could have fixed things earlier.” He desperately hoped his tone didn’t reveal any of the loathing that was howling in his brain.

“It’s the last 10 days, to be exact. IT pushed out some idiotic update that changed the default font size to 11.” Her bottom lip stuck out in an exaggerated pout. “I have 16 more stops to make this morning.” She gestured to the cart behind her, stacked with bundles of paperwork from what looked like every one of the employees in this department. 

“But why wait 10 days to say something?”

She huffed a quick sigh. “Every one of you should have immediately noticed the change on your own. I was giving you the chance to do your job.” Her smile was entirely unkind. “And yet none of you did. I swear if I didn’t keep everyone in line, you’d all be fired within the week. Be grateful I’m your supervisor.” Colton felt a lot of emotions, but he wasn’t sure that ‘grateful’ ranked very high among them. “You’re very welcome. Anyway, get these corrections done by the end of the day, but DON’T presume that you can do them instead of your regular work. Good thing you have several breaks graciously provided by Joja.” 

Without a second glance, she continued on to the next desk. Poor Linda, a coworker that had been at the company for over ten years, was already sweating buckets before Cindy even said a word. Colton smiled at his work neighbor in a way that he hoped was comforting, but she was too far gone from fear. With one last look to check that she hadn’t succumbed to an aneurysm, he turned back to his workstation.

His head fell onto the keyboard with an unsatisfying thunk. The computer immediately began protesting loudly, the screen blanketed in error messages, but Colton couldn’t find it in himself to care. Out of the corner of his eye, the large green light next to “work” continued flashing incessantly. Come to think of it, Colton had never seen the red lamp next to “rest” light up once in the three years that he’d been here. He snorted to himself. It probably never even worked when the building was brand new. If only HE didn’t have to work either.

An unnatural chill ran down his spine as he continued to bemoan his shitty workplace. Colton sat up quickly, sniffing the air curiously. The chill wind had brought with it a smell that had no place in this office nor in Zuzu City either. It reminded him of pine trees and moss and several other unplaceable scents he associated with his childhood in the country. None of his co-workers seemed to notice anything amiss and Cindy was already well on her way down the aisle.

Section 7, Subsection 3a was very clear that any odor-causing candle, diffuser, or any other item was strictly prohibited in the workplace. No one would be so bold to flaunt the rules so obviously. And despite peeking over every wall of his cubicle, Colton couldn’t see any source nearby. Just as he was about to give up his search, a rattling noise drew his attention to the top drawer of his desk.

Grabbing the nearest weapon - a standard-issue black personal stapler - Colton prepared to confront whatever small creature had managed to get into his desk this time. Pest control at Joja’s corporate offices was far from the best, and it wouldn’t be the first time that he’d encountered a mouse roaming through the grey wasteland. And yet, as he yanked open the drawer, Colton saw only one item inside and it was definitely not a mouse. In fact, it was nothing living at all. Instead, he pulled out a single, yellowed envelope. An envelope that he hadn’t seen in years. An envelope that should be back in his old bedroom in his parents’ house in Grampleton. The wax steal was still missing the small chip he had pulled off on that car ride 20 years ago.

_ There will come a day when you feel crushed by the burden of modern life… _

The envelope was torn open on the floor before Colton could second-guess himself. He read the enclosed letter slowly, not believing what was written at first. However, a cursory glance at the second piece of paper that had been with the letter confirmed it to be true. The dark green curling font clearly defined Colton as the proud owner of the deed to Embercrest Farm, nestled in Stardew Valley and Colton’s distant memories. Was this real?

A single polite cough drew his attention to the innumerable sharp edges of Cindy standing in the aisle. She raised one pencil-thin eyebrow. “Enjoying your personal reading on company time? It almost seems like you don’t value the benefits afforded to Joja employees.” She paused. “Maybe a suspension would help you appreciate them more, hmm?” She waited expectantly for the groveling she so loved to begin.

Glancing again at the papers in his hand, Colton stood up. He tossed the stapler over his shoulder. “You know what? I’ll do you one better. I quit.” With a whoop, he ran toward the exit, ignoring Cindy’s petulant insistence that he put in the requisite 2-week notice. Grandpa was right. This gift was exactly what he needed.


	2. Take a Leap

Colton managed to convince himself that he was not at all fleeing from the JojaCorp offices. No, it was definitely a confident strut. A quick, confident strut. One that definitely didn’t say “shit, I left my favorite sunglasses in my desk, but I guess those are dead to me now.” By now, he was rushing through the lobby of the building, outside just within reach. Sparing a quick glance at his hands, Colton was proud to note that they were only mildly shaking. Crushing it.

As luck would have it, the bus back home was just pulling up to the stop outside work. Colton boarded on auto-pilot, running through the breathing exercises that he only half remembered from the free yoga class Mel had dragged him to. Judging by the wide berth everyone else on the bus was giving him, his attempt at calming himself could still use some work.

Through all of the internal turmoil, Colton was careful to keep from crumpling the papers in his hand. The yellowed envelope, the letter with the shaky handwriting, and the deed to the farm were cradled gently against his chest like a newborn infant. He had just made an extreme gamble and these items were all that kept him from falling into the abyss.

A million questions began bubbling up in Colton’s mind, spoken in a voice that sounded suspiciously like his mother. Was this deed even legitimate after so many years? Was there some real estate committee that he needed to contact? Did he even know HOW to farm? What if the town was occupied by some weird cult? Would there be room for his full wardrobe in the farmhouse? He was ashamed to admit that the last question sparked the most fear in his heart.

Taking one last deep breath in - thanks, yoga teacher whose name he couldn’t remember - Colton pushed the worries out of his mind. His dramatic departure from Joja meant that there was no turning back. Of course, he could always go work at his mom’s company. It’s honestly what everyone always expected. Victoria Branson, fashion designer extraordinaire, had been the hot name in clothing for at least a decade. Colton couldn’t go out shopping without seeing his mother’s name shining through the windows of every high-end clothier.

Wrinkling his nose, he remembered the brief period of time that the tabloids had followed him around after college. They had given up soon after, deciding his lifestyle was incredibly boring. He could have saved them the trouble if they’d just asked earlier. True, his family had money, but he tried to live on his own meager means. His mom had cried for three days that he wasn’t letting her do her job as a mother and provide for his well being, so he had caved on the apartment - paid in full for the entire year under Victoria’s name. And, yes, a box of the newest designs in Colton’s size showed up on the doorstep every month, no matter how many times he protested. The multitude of suits, shirts, slacks, and shoes pushed his net worth so high he got sick every time he tried to tally it up. So maybe he was a little spoiled, but no one could ever tell if they didn’t put two and two together based on his last name.

His building came into view and the bus soon came to a jarring halt. The doorman was too professional to let any surprise at seeing Colton home so early show on his face. “Mr. Branson, welcome back home.” Colton flashed what he hoped was a casual smile before breezing through the lobby and taking the stairs two at a time up to his unit on the fourth floor.

A loud shriek greeted him as he threw open the door. “Everything valuable is in the first door on your left! If you take what you want and leave, I promise I won’t call the cops and I never even saw your face!”

“Mel.”

“HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?! I’m warning you, I’m armed!”

Colton walked toward the living room, sidling around the corner with an unimpressed eyebrow raised. Mel was standing on the back of the couch, still wrapped in his comforter and brandishing… a piece of toast? The butter on the aforementioned toast fell to the ground with a quiet splat. “Mel, we’ve lived together for years, how can you not recognize my voice?”

Sighing in relief, Mel clambered entirely ungracefully down from the couch. “You’re not due home for hours, I wasn’t thinking in the heat of the moment,” she sniffed imperiously. The moment lacked the impact she was aiming for when she stepped directly on the pat of butter on the floor. She flailed and peeled the sock off of her foot, flinging it in the general direction of her room. “So the real question is, why  _ are _ you home so early? Wait, did you actually get fired for being late? Ha, I tried to tell you!”

“No, I wasn’t fired, but I would like to go back to the part where your burglar preparedness plan is to invite them to raid my bedroom.”

Mel shrugged. “What? You have like five million gold worth of clothes in there, your mom’s stuff sells well.”

Colton’s eyebrow climbed even higher and he crossed his arms. “That’s an exaggeration, and you know it.”

“I know it’s at least a mil, I just haven’t actually totaled everything up.”

“That’s… It’s… uhhh.” Mel’s face settled into one of her patented evil grins as soon as she could tell she had him on the ropes. He coughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Anyway. Aren’t you curious why I’m home already?”

Sweeping the comforter more securely around her shoulders, Mel settled down on the couch and patted the cushion next to her. “Come now, my lord, and lay your troubles down next to me. Regale me with the tale of how we are soon to be homeless!” It wasn’t the worst impression he’d seen her do, but it also wasn’t the best.

Colton snorted and belly flopped onto the couch, knocking over Mel in the process. “My lord, eh? Well as my first decree I demand that you return the comforter that you stole from my bed.” After arranging the comforter around his own shoulders, he continued, “and you know that my mom pays for the apartment anyway, so we wouldn’t be out on the streets.” He chewed on his lower lip. “Buuuuuuuuuuuut I did maybe… quit?”

“Hell yeah, fuck that corporate life!” Mel thrust her fist into the air to emphasize her statement. “Finally going to work for mommy, then?”

“You say that as if you don’t live rent-free on my mom’s dime and don’t get regular commissions every time there’s a new collection announcement. But no, if you must know, I’m going to go run a farm.”

Mel cackled. “Yeah, and I’m going to start making paper hats for bees.” She adopted the voice of a TV announcer and swept her arm out wide. “Together, this happy couple is looking for their new forever home. They have a budget of 10 million gold. He wants mid-century modern and a swimming pool, and she demands a Victorian mansion five minutes from work. Will they ever make it work? Find out on this week’s episode of Hunting for Homes.” She trailed off into a giggle. “Seriously, Cole, that’s not a real job and there’s not even any space in Zuzu City for you to grow stuff.”

Colton held out the papers he’d been rereading all morning. “I am serious, look! And I wouldn’t be staying here, I’d be moving to Stardew Valley.” Mel took the papers out of his hands, looking at him through squinted eyes. She read the letter, then looked back at Colton, then read the letter again.

“Why do rich people get everything? You already have an apartment and now some wealthy relative just hands you a huge plot of land, unbelievable.” She threw the papers onto the coffee table amidst the chaos of her current sketches. Colton dove to collect them before they were lost into the mess forever.

“My grandpa was far from wealthy and this letter was written years before my mom got her big break. I honestly don’t even know if this is still legit.” He pulled out his phone and searched for the Stardew Valley registry of deeds. Finding the number, he punched it in.

“By Yoba, you already quit and you didn’t even check that this was REAL first? I need a drink.”

The line was still ringing as Colton whispered, “wow, drinking at 11am, such healthy decisions.”

Mel waved away his comment. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll drink white wine or something, that doesn’t even count.” She shuffled away towards the kitchen.

The person that picked up the other end of the line confirmed that the deed was still legitimate and gave Colton the number of a Lewis in Pelican Town that he could contact for any further questions. Colton hung up and released a breath he hadn’t even realized he was holding. “Good news, Mel, it’s real, so you can slow down on the drinking now.”

Mel popped her head out of the kitchen, chugging directly from a mostly-full bottle of wine. “Ha, this train already left the station, I can’t be stopped.” She held the bottle out. “Quieres?”

“I’ll pass on your backwash, thanks. Besides I need to call this Lewis guy now, I guess.”

Mel shrugged and took a few more swigs. “So I take it this means that we won’t be extending the lease after it expires in two months? Oh well, it was too good a deal to last forever.” After another few swigs, she started off toward her room, bottle still in hand. “All this excitement has been exhausting, wake me up when you know more.” And with that she was gone.

\---

Fortunately, Lewis answered as soon as Colton called. After a brief discussion, the mayor of Pelican Town had invited Colton to visit Embercrest Farm as soon as possible. After thanking Lewis for his time, Colton ended the conversation and went to find Mel who was, amazingly, fast asleep.

“Yo. You wanna go take a drive to my new farm?” The words still felt weird in his mouth

Mel opened one accusatory eye in his direction. “Already? What’s in it for me?”

“An excuse to avoid work without feeling guilty and the warm, fuzzy feeling of helping your best friend, that’s about all that I’ve got. It’s about 2 hours away by car, according to my map app.”

Mel jumped out of bed with a flourish unexpected of someone that 1) was just asleep and 2) had just drunk a quarter of a bottle of wine in one sitting. She slipped back into her awful accent and screeched, “I accept your offer. Your chariot awaits, my lord! Chop chop, time’s a-wastin’ and all that!” Without another word, she ran to the front door.

If he wasn’t used to her antics by now, he might have been scared, but as it was Colton just chuckled to himself as he followed in Mel’s footsteps. Down in the garage, Mel was already sitting in the front seat of her SUV tapping impatiently on the wheel. “Come on, slowpoke, let’s go see how much of a mistake you’ve made.”

After punching the address into the GPS, Mel wasted no time interrogating her friend. “So that’s that, then? You’re just ready to pack up everything and move to the middle of nowhere?” Her tone wasn’t mean, but it was clear that she didn’t support this new plan.

Colton watched Zuzu City disappearing into the distance in the side view mirror. “I mean, I’ve got two months of our current place left, so there’s not that much of a rush, but yeah. I’m pretty much committed to this plan, there’s not much else to do.”

“But think about what you’re leaving behind! Aren’t you still seeing what’s-his-face? That guy with a name that makes it sound like he could do my taxes.”

“Grant? Seriously, Mel, you’ve gotta keep up on these things, we haven’t seen each other in months.”

Mel gave a pout worthy of the silver screen. “Damn, so he won’t do my taxes, then? There goes that plan.”

“Just to be clear, you’re only sad about my breakup because now you have to find someone else to do your taxes?? Also, you know he didn’t actually know about taxes, right? You just assumed that because of his name.”

“I choose to not answer that question.”

“Mhmm. But to get back to your  _ original _ concern, no there’s really not anything holding me in Zuzu City. I mean, there’s you, but you can just come live with me! Keeps the free rent thing going just a little longer.”

“While your offer is soooo generous, Melissa Imelda Santos does not leave the city.” She started up a playlist on her phone. “I guess I’ll hold my tongue until we see your new place then.” The rest of their conversation consisted of normal day-to-day banter and screaming along to their favorite songs. In what seemed like no time at all, the faded signs for Pelican Town greeted them from the side of the road.

Mel pulled her car up behind a dilapidated bus that looked like it hadn’t moved in years. Colton had called mayor Lewis right before they had arrived, and the old man was waiting for them at the bus stop. He looked vaguely familiar from Colton’s childhood memories, but he was glad that he knew his name in advance because all of those details had long since been lost to the past.

Lewis beamed as the two friends approached. “Hello, hello! It’s my greatest pleasure to welcome new life to our great town!” He paused for a moment to take in the two young adults before him. “Colton, is this your… partner? You didn’t mention her during your call.”

Mel didn’t even pretend to hide her amusement. She was doubled over and openly laughing with loud guffaws. Colton thought it was a bit much. “No, mayor Lewis, this is just my friend. She drove me here.” A beat of silence stretched on just slightly longer than was comfortable. “Can we, uh, see the place?”

Lewis quickly snapped out of the awkward moment. “Yes, of course, follow me!” He led them down a dirt path lined by weather-worn wooden fences. Beyond the fences, weeds and bushes and trees crowded together seemingly without end. “Technically this land to our left is yours as well, though I imagine it will be some time until you find the need to extend this far. We still have about a mile until the main house.”

Behind Lewis’ back, Mel caught Colton’s eyes and mouthed “A. MILE.” He continued walking as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Truth be told, this was already overwhelming and they’d barely been here five minutes. Most of his farming experience was limited to mowing the yard and weeding the flower garden, before they’d moved to their current family home where there were people who took care of all of that. These weeds looked like they were more likely to take him out than vice versa.

The walk was uneventful. Lewis talked the entire time about the history of the area and stories about his own childhood. Neither Mel nor Colton were really listening to anything he had to say. The ground was muddy beneath their feet. It was almost spring and the world had already thawed. Birds and bugs alike were making their increased activity known, blending together in a pleasing background murmur.

“Ah, finally, we’re here!” Lewis tried to discreetly mop some sweat from his brow before planting his hands on his hips. In front of the trio was a building that appeared to be doing its utmost to disappear into the wilderness. Flowers and bushes stood proud amidst some wooden boards that may once have been a porch. The trees crowded right up to the house and Colton could only see a few feet into the woods before the details were lost in shadow. Lewis pressed a rusty key into his hand. “Don’t be shy, go in and have a look around! I’m just going to take a quick break.” The old man sat down on a tree stump and took out a package wrapped in a red and white napkin. He unwrapped what appeared to be a sandwich and began happily munching away.

Mel and Colton carefully picked their way up to the front door. It used to be red, if the peeling flecks of paint were anything to go off of. Once unlocked, it swung outwards with an ear-piercing shriek on its rusted hinges. Colton coughed as dust and who knew what else danced through the air. The interior was not much better than the exterior. It was hard to reconcile what he was seeing with his childhood memory, but the old stone fireplace was exactly where he remembered it being, and if he crossed his eyes the mold lump next to it could maybe be a bed.

“Oh look,  _ lots _ of natural light, how nice!” Mel’s gaze was fixed on the ceiling, which was full of holes and letting golden beams of afternoon light filter in. “Remind me again what you said, something like ‘we can spend the night in the farmhouse and drive back in the morning’ I think it was?”

“Yeah well obviously our plans have changed.” He retreated back to Lewis and his lunch outside. “Is there a contractor in the area I could talk to about getting this place fixed up, or…” He trailed off, at a loss of what else to say.

“Also is there a hotel or something here? Preferably with a roof.” Mel ignored Colton’s elbow connecting with her side.

“For construction work, I can take you to see Robin. And as far as a hotel, I think Gus might have some extra space in the saloon.” Lewis continued eating his sandwich and politely ignored the quiet argument happening nearby.

“A saloon,” Mel hissed. “Let’s just hop on our horse and we’ll be there in no time! Honestly, Cole, you cannot stay here. You gave it the old college try, it’s bust. Just sell this place and move on.”

“You can’t judge a book by it’s cover. Besides, I have plenty of savings, I’m sure this Robin person will get this liveable in no time.” Colton hoped he sounded more confident than he actually felt.

Approximately 10 minutes later, Lewis had finished his singular sandwich and escorted them back to the town. In short order, he summoned Robin to go over construction details. Her sunny personality was infectious and Colton found himself swept up in the good feelings. And then she presented the total bill. With a gulp he checked his savings balance on his phone and realized that it would only be just enough.

“And this price is so high because....”

Robin assumed he was joking at first, but quickly turned more serious once she saw no one else at the table was laughing. “Oh. Did you not look at the whole property?” Colton shook his head and Robin glared at Lewis. “I see. Well, I’ve had the plans for renovating this property set aside for a long while, hoping that someone would want to use the place again. First, the farmhouse needs foundation work, the entire floor has to be rebuilt, we need to replace the roof, brand new windows, and run electricity to the place. Then there’s the northern pass which needs to be cleared of a bunch of boulders that have fallen and blocked the way. The dock to the southwest is mostly rotted away, so that has to be replaced as well. Oh and of course the big stone bridge in the south. Now for that one, I’ll have to subcontract with the quarry a few towns over and rent some pretty big machinery.”

Mel had been slowly leaning forward as Robin listed the repairs that needed to be made. By the time Robin finished, Mel’s face was practically lying on the table. She leaned so far back that she almost fell out of her chair and said, “well. When you put it like that the cost is pretty much a steal. Cough up the dough, rich boy.” She jabbed Colton directly in his face. He slapped away the offending digit.

“Yes, well. Please just let me know where I can send the gold. And this can all be done in…?”

“Oh I’d say I can have it done in a month, easy. Not much else anyone in the town is asking me to do right now anyway.” Her laugh was genuine.

After making the necessary arrangements, Mel and Colton went to their separate rooms to sleep for the evening. Settling into the slightly-too-small bed in the slightly-too-quiet town, he couldn’t help but feel excited for what was to come. The visit made everything seem much more real. Before he could drift off to sleep, his phone buzzed on the nightstand. Grabbing the phone, he saw that his mom was calling.

“Hello?”

“Colton, darling, it’s lovely to hear from you. I just got a call from an old acquaintance in Stardew Valley. Do you remember visiting your grandpa there years ago?” She didn’t pause to let him answer. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t, you were so young. Anywho. My friend said she saw a young man that reminded her so much of you that she just had to call and talk about the strange coincidence. And to top it all off, this guy is apparently moving to the town soon! And he’s traveling with a girl that seems suspiciously similar to your wonderful roommate Mel. And all this is to say, why does it seem like you are moving to that tiny town, where you know no one, without even once thinking about calling your dear mother and talking about this first?? That would be,” she paused as if searching for the right words, “very… impetuous of you, don’t you think?”

Colton knew his next words had to be chosen carefully and fully encapsulate the current situation. “Uh… surprise?” Nailed it.

“I’ll see you at home tomorrow and you can tell me all about this ‘surprise’ in person.” The line went dead. Well. Colton supposed, all things considered, it could have gone worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments! And sorry for the delayed posting, work has been crazy. Lots of exposition to get through, but soon we'll be in the setting that everyone knows and loves!


	3. Familiar Changes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Work has been crazy, but finally got another chapter out for you! Probably the last one before we actually get to, you know, the main plot. But hey, the slow burn tag isn't just there for decoration!

In the chilly evening air, the forest was an imposing sight. Trunks wide from years of uninterrupted growth supported gnarled branches that spread wide to greet the first hint of stars high above in the sky. As the sunlight faded, the shadows between the trees deepened to an almost ominous black, shrouding the whole forest in mystery. It was an atmosphere that warned people away, and yet Colton could feel an insistent pull toward the forest, to explore, to venture deeper. He could just barely make out a soft voice, far off that almost seemed sad. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself to brave the shadows ready to search out whoever was calling -

“Cole, seriously you know I love you, but if you cover my car with drool, you’re paying for someone else to clean it up.”

Colton jerked awake, finding himself not in a forest, but instead inside Mel’s SUV as it rumbled down the highway. “Wha?” The landscape outside the window bore no resemblance to the foreboding woods of his recent… dream? Clearly it must have been, though it felt more real than any dream he had ever had before. He shook the sleep out of his throat with a quiet cough. “Where, uh, where are we?”

“Truly, I am in awe of the wisdom that falls from your lips when you wake up. I should start writing this brilliance down, pretty soon you can be the next big modern philosopher.” Mel’s friendly jabs lacked no energy despite the current hour - Colton squinted at the clock on the dashboard - of 8 o’clock. Oh. So not as impressive then. He hoped his tired muscles were rearranging his face into the proper grimace that Mel deserved. “But to answer your question, we are about 15 minutes away from your parents’ house. We left Pelican Town like an hour and a half ago after you gave that carpenter lady pretty much the entire contents of your bank account. Which, you know, big moves I guess?”

Colton hoped that the wordless grunt he gave in reply would sate his friend’s need for conversation. In truth, the day had passed in such a whirlwind that he had barely processed how much money had exchanged hands. He heard a voice not dissimilar to his father’s chastising him for ‘making reckless investment decisions’. No, it was his home now. His crumbling, moss-covered home. Wait, did it even have electricity? Was there running water?? Fuck, maybe he hadn’t thought this through. And he didn’t even seek a second bid for construction costs, he had simply trusted someone he didn’t really know to do literally everything. Touché, brain-dad.

Multitasking had never been Colton’s strong suit, and he realized that his mental rollercoaster had kept him from processing anything that Mel had been saying for several minutes. He tuned back in to hear “-and THEN, wouldn’t you know it, I found myself being the midwife for this giraffe I had literally JUST met and she turned out to be a total flake on the whole motherhood thing. So now I have full custody of a baby giraffe, but she can live on your farm now, I guess.”

“That giraffe is going to grow up with hella trauma if people keep abandoning her like that.”

“Oh, look who decided to turn his ears back on. And how dare you, you know I’d visit regularly. I love my giraffe daughter and I only want what’s best for her.” Mel’s haughty hair toss almost made the ridiculous lie believable. “Aaaaaaanyway, now that you’re listening again, allow me to repeat what I told you, like, five times already. We’re almost there and your hair is a mess, so this is your courtesy call to fix that shit before your mom raises a fuss about your ‘slovenly’ nature.”

She had barely gotten through the word ‘mess’ before Colton was arranging his carefully styled hair in the tiny mirror in the sun visor. “Ugh, you should have told me earlier, I need more time to fix things in these far-from-ideal conditions!”

“Your hair is not mussed even a little bit, I just thought that might jolt you awake faster than anything, my little vain cupcake.” She squeezed his cheeks together with one hand to accentuate the pet name.

“Ha. Good one. Focus on driving, please, and if you think being a comedian is your new calling, then maybe just hang up the phone.” Colton continued poking at loose strands anyway. “Besides, I need every advantage I can get for this conversation.” He drew a frowny face in the fog on the window left behind by his drawn-out sigh.

Mel snorted, but her voice was gentle. “Cole, your parents have never actually been mad at you a day in your life.” She scrunched up her face for a second. “Okay, maybe the time that you flooded the entire bathroom when you were 6 because you wanted to be a shark. But even then they got over it in less than a day and said they’d been wanting to renovate anyway.” She squared her shoulders and stared down the empty suburban streets as if she was about to throw down a challenge. “Here’s exactly what’s going to happen. One, your dad will be all blah blah, your mother is worried but she’ll get over this soon.”

“That’s not what my dad sounds like.”

“TWO,” Mel was on a roll and not stopping anytime soon, “your mom will make you try on some new clothes or whatever and pretend like everything is fine and then casually segue into this whole life change. Three, she’ll complain that you never let her do anything to help you and that you’re moving even farther away. Four, you all hug and make up and everything is fine.”

Colton chuckled. “That ending seemed a little rushed, I think you skipped a few steps. And where do you fit into all of this?”

“The ending was rushed because I always leave before that part which also answers your second question aka I will not be present at all. I’m gonna raid your parents’ kitchen and then take a nap in the guest house, not all of us got to have a nap, you know.” She waved a hand to cut off anything Colton might say. “Shh, we both know it’s gonna happen whether you like it or not and also we’re here.”

“Oh look, dad’s already outside.” Charles Branson stood on the front steps eagerly waving down the SUV as it turned onto the long driveway. As he so often did, he was wearing an apron with messy cursive letters spelling ‘kiss the cook’ scrawled across the chest. In the wake of Victoria’s success, her husband had taken to being a stay-at-home dad and, with his only child already fully grown, this mostly meant spending the days inventing new recipes. He had racked up a significant gaggle of admirers on every PTA in the area since his baked goods supplied practically every school bake sale. And they sold very, very well.

“Ahhh! He’s wearing his apron which means fresh goodies for Mel.” The car had barely come to a complete stop before she was bounding across the yard. “Mr. Branson! It’s been way too long. Is it a cookie or a cake kind of day?”

Charles chuckled gently and gestured into the doorway behind him. “You know the way to the kitchen, I think? Go find out for yourself.” Mel took off at a breakneck pace with a few half-formed words of thanks thrown over her shoulder.

Colton walked up to the porch with what he hoped was a calm and casual air. “Heeeey, dad. Been a minute, eh?” He barely got through the sentence before he was pulled into a crushing hug. His dad adjusted the hug into a headlock and ruffled Colton’s hair.

“None of that awkwardness! I’m always thrilled to see you back home AND it seems that now you’re a homeowner! Amazing news, can’t wait to hear all about it, but first let’s get inside where I can keep a closer eye on the oven.” His face was open and Colton couldn’t see any trace of a negative emotion in any of the affection he’d just been doused with in a matter of seconds.

As the two Bransons walked through the doorway, they were met with a warmth that immediately dispelled the late-winter chill of the outdoors. The large house had started its life as a much simpler abode, long before Victoria’s fashion success. Colton had never known another home until he moved out for college, and even then his memories were only as far away as the next long weekend. In more recent years, the house had been expanded, with more and more rooms seeming to spring into existence in the blink of an eye. Both of his parents never ran out of ideas for redesigns, and it wasn’t like they were spending the money on much else.

While the bones of the old home still remained, there were changes that were unfamiliar to Colton, even though he’d been home just two months before. The foyer, for one, definitely wasn’t three stories tall the last time he was here. He raised a single eyebrow at his father, who shrugged. “What, do you think it’s too much? The plants needed more light.” He grinned and nudged his son with a flour-covered elbow. “Your mom is upstairs in her studio. I’m gonna stop Mel from eating everything I’ve finished so far.” The clattering noises coming from the kitchen did not inspire confidence.

Colton hung his jacket on a familiar coat stand, happy to see that some things hadn’t changed. “Is mom similarly excited about my upcoming move?”

“Well… know that we both love and support you no matter what you do. She does, however, happen to be in one of her moods.” Colton grimaced and his dad held both hands up in mock defense. “No, no, she’s not going to try to change your mind, just go with the flow and let her have her say. Call me if you need help and I’ll try to smooth things over if they get too rough.” He raised his voice. “Mrs. Biddle is going to be VERY upset if there aren’t exactly the number of croissants she ordered!” He started off toward the kitchen, but turned around briefly to flash his son a double thumbs-up before disappearing around the corner.

The phone in Colton’s pocket buzzed, and he pulled it out to reveal a text from Mel. 

_Step one, done! Also Mrs. Biddle can’t be paying enough for these, they are HEAVEN._

A blurry photo of a chocolate croissant followed soon after. Damn, those were always his favorites. But dessert would have to wait. He just hoped the conversation would end before Mel ate all of the extras.

The long rug lining the second-floor hallway was exactly as plush as he remembered, like getting a tiny hug with each step. The walls were filled to the bursting with old family photos. Faded prints of Victoria walking barefoot along the beach in her late teens jostled for space next to baby Colton’s wide gap-toothed smile and Charles’ ill-fated attempt to restore an old sports car (which still sat, unable to be driven, at the back of the garage). Extended family members watched over the unorganized photos, some stern and imposing while others seemed to gaze fondly at their exuberant relatives.

One photo in particular gave Colton pause as he walked toward the studio. It was a small picture in a plain black frame, one he had never paid attention to before. The gilded frames around it insisted that he look at them instead, but the subject of this picture was startlingly familiar. He must have walked down this hallway hundreds of times, but he never gave much thought to the photo of his immediate family squeezing in tight alongside his grandfather in front of the old farmhouse. It lacked all of the vegetation he had seen earlier than morning, but was undoubtedly the same house. He didn’t even remember taking the photo, but everyone in it looked so happy. 

He sighed and continued on. Regardless of where things went from here, he had made the decision to move to Embercrest Farm and there was no coming back. He just hoped he could capture at least a small amount of that same joy from the past.

Coming to a set of frosted glass doors (those were new) that stood ajar where his mother’s cramped studio used to be, Colton stuck his head through slowly. The oval room (also new) that greeted him seemed to be a central hub, clad in rich red wallpaper with several doors leading to even more new spaces. Small plaques labeled the purpose of each room, the two nearest read “Sewing” and “Notions”. Feeling for the first time mildly out-of-place in his own home, Colton fidgeted near the doorway.

“Mom?”

Sounds of movement came from another doorway, marked “Fabrics”, and a familiar black-haired head thrust into the central room. She beamed in his direction. “Oh, my darling boy, it’s been far, far too long, come in, sit down!” The rest of her soon followed, lugging several bolts of fabric emblazoned with bright geometric patterns which she deposited onto a large table. Judging by the frizziness starting to make itself known at her temple, Victoria had been lost in her work for some time now.

“Heya, mom. It’s good to be home.” Colton rubbed at the back of his neck, bracing himself for the imminent inspection.

“Yes, which is exactly where you should have been much sooner! But no matter, here you are and now I get to spend time with my favorite person.” She began to circle him slowly, slapping his hand away from the nape of his neck. “Yoba, every time you stop by it seems like your measurements have changed, I mean - darling, stand still - are these pants from two YEARS ago??”

“My measurements haven’t changed in many years, mom, you know this and yes these pants are from two years ago. They’re one of my favorites. Very comfy.” The circling was honestly soothing him more than he thought it would, being such a familiar action from his mother.

“Hmm, well I’m glad they’re comfortable, but luckily I have been working on something much more en vogue for you. And I will be the judge on the measurements, thank you.” She brandished a measuring tape pulled from who-knows-where and herded him over to a large mirror. As she took each measurement, she hummed knowingly to herself, never once writing anything down. After a few brief minutes she stood back, apparently satisfied. “I swear you _look_ like you’ve grown, but no the numbers don’t lie.”

“I told you.”

“Oh, like you would even notice. I mean, for heaven’s sake look at the fraying on your shirt sleeve.” Colton looked closely at both arms but couldn’t find a single thread out of place.

“Uh… they look fine to me.”

His mother tapped a single finger repeatedly on her lower lip. “Fine, is it? Cole, dear, remember when I tried to teach you to sew?”

He rolled his eyes, already knowing where the story was headed. “Do you mean when I sewed my own finger-”

“When you sewed your own FINGER, just got it right under the needle of the machine. Oh, it was so awful, I hate to think about it. All that blood, such a nasty scar.”

Colton raised his left thumb, flipping it from back to front. “There’s like barely any scar-”

“And on that day, you and I made a deal. We said that we would leave all of the fashion making to me,” she placed a hand on his cheek, “and you would just wear it. Now. If I say there’s fraying on the sleeve, I think we can agree, then, that there is in fact fraying on the sleeve. Or are you saying that your poor mother is going blind now? That she should pack it up, move on to gardening in these few years left before I get put in a home?”

It never took long to get to the dramatics, but Colton couldn’t help but chuckle. “We both know that’s not true and we also both know that you kill every plant you so much as look at. Gardening is dad’s thing.”

She shrugged. “I’m just having a little fun, you spoilsport. Now come on, let me show you what I made!” She pulled a hanging bag off of a nearby rack and thrust it into his arms, bouncing with anticipation. “Go ahead, open it!”

He never got tired of seeing his mom’s excitement when he saw a new outfit she had made for him. If he was being honest, it was the only reason he didn’t complain more about the number of clothes he owned, seeing how happy she was to create something new.

Inside the bag was a casual outfit. The pants were a deep goldenrod yellow, soft to the touch with dark brown leather accents. A simple grey t-shirt peeked out from underneath a blue denim jacket. All told, it was a surprisingly simple outfit compared to what his mother usually pulled together, but the quality was still undeniably fantastic.

“Whoa, this looks great! Very different, are you trying a new style this year?”

“Well, not exactly.” She gestured to the fabric on the table. “Trying some bold pops of color and aggressive designs this year. Who knows? Maybe it will be another hit.” Colton had no doubt it would, like everything else she made, but his confusion only grew more at her response. His clothes were always made with the blueprint of whatever upcoming collection his mom was brewing. She called him her prototype, said it helped to iron out the finicky details.

“Not exactly?”

“Yes, I couldn’t very well give you your typical designer wear considering this new profession, now could I?” Oh. He’d been so lost in the moment of returning home that somehow he’d forgotten why he had been summoned in the first place.

“Ah, yeah. Really, mom, everything happened really fast, I was totally going to tell you, it’s not like I was hiding it or anything, honest!” She held out a single hand to silence his rambling.

“Oh, Colton, I know this. Trust me, I do not feel betrayed in the slightest, scout’s honor. I’m just shocked, I guess.” She held out a mug of tea - wait, where had that come from?? - producing a second one for herself. She took a long sip. “So. When’s the move? I’ll have my assistant coordinate with the moving guys I always work with for exhibits, they do fantastic work.”

He tried to take a sip, but the liquid was far too hot for comfort. “No, that’s okay, don’t go through the trouble. Mel will help me, we can do it on our own.”

Victoria set her now-empty cup to the side and perched lightly on the arm of a chair. “I see. So I don’t get to be involved in the decision to move out to my dad’s old farm and now I can’t even help you move. Okay. No, no, that’s fine. That’s great! I’ll just sit here, I guess.” If Colton’s calculations were correct, the waterworks would start in 3, 2, aaaaand right on time. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Honestly, he thought she could have made a killing through acting if her fashion career hadn’t taken off. “I just try so hard to help you and provide for you. I make all this money and it’s certainly not that important to me, but you won’t even let me do these little things.” She covered her face with a dainty hand.

He collapsed into the chair opposite his mother’s with a sigh. “If I let you do this will you let me succeed or fail on my own accord after that?”

She peeked through the gaps in her fingers. “That could maybe be arranged.” It was always amazing how quickly her moods could change. “But first, I think you could also use a car? It’s not like Mel is going to drive you everywhere and it will make life so much easier.”

“You’re not buying me a car.”

“Leasing, then? I truly think this is a necessity and it’s no trouble.”

“There’s not even a garage, I have nowhere to put it and there isn’t exactly a road up to the farm.” 

This thought seemed to give her pause. She walked over to her desk and pulled out a small notebook, flipping through several pages before landing on the one she wanted. With a fountain pen, she added on two more lines to what looked like a bulleted list.

“Mom, what is that?”

She pushed the notebook further away from where he was craning to try and see. “Oh this? Nothing, dear, it’s just a little hobby. Definitely not a list of recommended improvements to look into for your farm.”

“So it’s a list of improvements you’re going to try to force me to let you pay for on my farm.”

“Forced is such a strong word,” she tutted. “It’s more like a list of gift ideas. For birthdays, the winter solstice festival… long weekends, the beginning of the month. Things like that.”

He held out an expectant hand. After a short, silent standoff, she groaned and handed him the book. “I promise it’s nothing.”

Written on the page were mostly disjointed thoughts and crossed-out words. Colton could make out the words “roof”, “vegetable seeds - easy to grow”, and scrawled at the bottom were two new words, the ink not yet dry. One read “garage” and the other simply said “road”.

“So let me get this straight, your plan was to just hire someone to build a road to my new house. And call it a gift.”

“Well when you put it that way it sounds silly. But maybe. If it helps, think of it as less of a gift for you and more of a want for me. If I’m visiting, I would like to not have to hike everywhere.”

“No road.”

“It’s a strong maybe on the road, a ‘we’ll circle back around to it’ on the car, and you just have to give me a date for the movers. Deal?”

The headache forming behind his temples was familiar, but no less unwanted. He tried to remember his dad’s advice. “Fine. Robin said renovations should be finished in 4 weeks. So as soon as possible after that.”

Victoria beamed. “Perfect! I’ll have my assistant get on that immediately.” She tapped a few short messages into her phone and then reached into her desk again. “One more thing before we call it a night.”

Colton was terrified as to what she might produce next but his fears were soon laid to rest when a plate of chocolate croissants was placed on the table. “I know they’re your favorite and who knows how many will escape Mel’s grasp.” Her smile was gentle and the wrinkle in her nose was as endearing as he remembered.

An entire croissant was already shoved inside his mouth and another was well on its way already. Through the flaky layers he gave what was intended to be a grateful noise.

His mother clapped her hands together. “Well. I’d say that’s everything sorted away. Just four more weeks until the fun begins!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also thank you for the comments, they're always lovely to read!


	4. Finishing Touches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly shorter chapter, but didn't want to leave everyone waiting for forever! Finally getting through most of the exposition. Excited to start playing more with the characters we all know and love!

The early morning sunshine had begun to take on a warmer hue, hinting at the imminent arrival of spring. Yet the air still held enough chill to transform every exhale into a hazy personalized cloud for the briefest of moments. These were mornings that encouraged most to stay swaddled beneath a large comforter for as long as possible. Alex was not one of these people.

Despite the number of years since his high school gridball days, Alex’s brain kept him on a strict schedule. He could hear coach Peterson’s voice echoing from days of practice long-gone reminding the team that constant improvement required dedication, and taking days off was a slippery slope to laziness. Or something like that. Alex had never been the best at paying attention when anyone spoke for too long. And he’d always been far more excited for the rush of the upcoming practice, culminating in another flawless performance at the next big game. Mostly flawless. Okay, acceptable. But hence, practice!

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and flopped out of bed, scrambling to save his laptop from sliding onto the floor after him. Some time ago, his laptop had fallen and cheerfully unpaused the video he’d been watching the night before. That had been an awkward conversation with Grandma. Nowadays, he was much more careful to close out of that… sensitive content before he went to sleep, but that didn’t mean the poor computer could afford another fall. Nearly everything that Alex owned was covered in scratches and dents. Funnily enough, while he was a natural on the field, he lost every single ounce of grace as soon as he stepped off of it.

Today, luck seemed to be on Alex’s side as he managed to catch his laptop before it hit the ground and woke up his grandparents. With a languid stretch, he sorted through the various clothes scattered on the floor. A few moments - and one stubbed toe - later, Alex had found a pair of shorts and a shirt that didn’t smell  _ too _ awful and were warm enough to stave off the chill on his jog. 

Even though there was next to no chance that he would run into someone this early in the day, he still stopped by the bathroom mirror to arrange his hair into the perfect degree of tastefully disheveled. It took work to remain the most eligible bachelor in Stardew. Not that such a list even existed. Or that anyone else had ever called him that. Whatever. Alex threw his reflection a wink, jammed his earbuds in, and slipped out the front door.

Damn, it was slightly colder than he’d estimated. “Too bad, can’t hit snooze on the day now.” Alex’s declaration was heard by no one in the dew-covered dawn. The tiny water droplets sparkled in the light, making even Pam’s usually unsightly trailer look sugar-coated. Alex chuckled to himself, imagining someone carefully coating cinder blocks and beer bottles with coarse sugar. He would never admit that this was one of his favorite sights, a twinkling morning wonderland. When asked, he would always default to something more rugged, the skin of a gridball, perhaps, or a juicy rare steak. He had appearances to keep up, after all. But secretly, these moments were his and his alone.

Before heading off, Alex paused for a moment by the dog run. He hated that Dusty had to stay outside, Grandpa’s rules, but at least the doghouse had pretty good insulation. Alex could remember the many days he’d fallen asleep curled up with his best friend during his childhood. The tiny shelter stayed warmer than expected and gave him some comfort that Dusty wasn’t uncomfortable.

“Hey, buddy. You up already?” The thump of an eager tail against a wall was the only response. While mornings were Alex’s thing, they certainly weren’t Dusty’s. Oh well, he’d have to remember to pick up some more treats from Pierre’s later.

Queueing up some upbeat songs, Alex started his jog to the east under the shadow of Olivia and Victor’s enormous house. The mother-son duo had commissioned the enormous building a couple years ago and moved in almost as soon as it was completed. The house was almost the largest building in the entire valley and its grandeur and inconvenient location - Alex’s window barely saw sunlight since the walls went up - filled Alex with more than a little contempt. But Olivia was very nice and his Grandma loved the new life that she breathed into town, so he got over it in the end. Even if Victor was the mopiest person that he’d ever seen. And he knew both Shane and Seb. Maybe everyone from Zuzu City was just especially annoying in some way? Or maybe it was just rich people.

His path continued on to JojaMart, where he hung a sharp right and continued to the south. The supermarket was a glaring scar on the landscape, all sharp angles and spotless glass. They tried to avoid shopping there whenever possible, but with a limited income, they always ended up buying a few heavily-discounted items each month. Alex had avoided their attempts to get him to join Shane stocking shelves for years, and he hoped he could keep it up for many more. Clint’s shop and the library came into view, both absolutely still at this hour. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been in either building. Or talked to the people that worked there, for that matter. It wasn’t that he disliked them, it was just that they couldn’t help him achieve his gridball dreams. He’d still get them signed jerseys once he made it big. Alex was nice like that.

He stopped to jog in place next to the shuttered ice cream stand. While there were still many months until the summer, he had been planning for the upcoming season since the final cone had been sold last year. Everyone knew Alex’s hair was popular with the ladies, but he figured that if he could pull off 8-pack abs by summer, people would flock from far and wide. Especially with Haley’s social media expertise. He’d mentioned the plan many times when they were hanging out and while she always rolled her eyes, he was pretty sure she would follow through. And once he sold all of the ice cream, he would have enough money to train full time. At least, that’s what happened in the movies. So it probably tracked.

Alex continued on to the beach, the sand provided more resistance and working out an entirely different set of muscles in his legs. That’s what his sports forum buddies said, anyway. Researching and reading was never his strong suit. After a few laps around the beach, he continued up the hill to the cliffs in front of Sophia’s vineyard. Another resident that was always so sad. Although, she probably had more reason to be than anyone else. The whole town had fallen under a dark cloud for months after her parents’ crash. He had thought about reaching out to her, telling her he might know a little bit about what she is feeling, but in the end he had chickened out.

Shaking off the impending sadness, Alex continued past Andy’s field of JojaCorp strawberries and was preparing to turn back toward his house when he noticed something that had most definitely not been there on his last cardio day. Or maybe it had and he’d been too engrossed in his running soundtrack to notice. In either case, the now-intact bridge to the north was definitely new to Alex.

Never one to abandon a good mystery, Alex decided to divert his course further north and see where the bridge led. The large flagstones on the bridge’s surface showed no signs of wear and there were deep tire tracks in the surrounding mud. Peeking his head over the edge, Alex found the same stream banks where he spent many early summer days in his childhood catching tadpoles. The plashing water offered no explanation for the newly repaired stone bridge. There was a quick flash of Alex’s reflection and, yep, hair still looked good. He smoothed a hand through it just in case.

To the north of the bridge was an untamed forest. One that didn’t look too old, but in no way looked planned. Alex was definitely going to have to clean his shoes thoroughly after this, but if he moved carefully, he was mostly confident that he could make his way through the trees. He tried to remember what buildings were out here, but he had never been to this part of the valley before. Thinking hard, but stopping before he got a headache, the only structures he knew of west of the bus stop had all been abandoned for years.

After only a few moments of dodging tree branches and thorn-covered bushes, Alex began to hear the repetitive sound of a hammer hitting wood. Pushing past one last bush, he found himself in a small clearing in front of an old house. Sawhorses, planks of wood, and various other building implements that Alex couldn’t identify were scattered around the area. There was a pile of discarded shrubbery that had recently been pulled from the dirt and an impressive pile of firewood proved that larger trees had also been felled. The porch looked almost entirely new, as did the door that was currently ajar. The loud noises seemed to be coming from within.

“Hello??” Alex had a brief moment where he realized that he might not be the person that survives in a horror movie when Robin’s voice answered from within.

“Oh, don’t sneak up on a person like that!” The red-haired woman poked her head out through the doorway. “Ah, Alex, what a surprise.” She gave him a once-over, taking in the scratches, dirt, and twigs. “I take it you didn’t use the conveniently-cleared pathway from the bus stop?”

“What? Wait, no!” He quickly rushed over to a bucket containing what seemed like clean water, doing his best to clean up using the reflection on its surface. Once he was mostly satisfied with what he saw, Alex did his best to adopt a nonchalant air, leaning against a nearby ladder. “I was just on a bit of a nature walk, ended up here by accident, thought I’d stop and chat.” The ladder fell to the ground with a loud clatter and Alex just managed to stay standing.

Robin flinched, though the practiced smile on her face remained. “Well. As you can see, I’m hard at work putting the final touches on this old farmhouse. Won’t be too long until its new owner will be joining our little community!” She patted the doorframe almost lovingly.

“Oh? Some old farmer type that’s looking to expand their land or something?”

“Hmmm, not old no, pretty much your age from what I could tell. And not a seasoned farmer, just got tired of life in Zuzu City, it seems. I didn’t really ask.”

At her answer, Alex couldn’t help but feel a small rush of excitement. “My age? Does it happen to be a beautiful young woman in need of a dashing hero to sweep her off her feet?” He tried to flex in a natural manner. Like the casual type of flexing that is a totally real thing that everybody knows about.

Barely hiding her mirth behind a gloved hand, Robin took a moment to calm herself before replying, “careful you don’t hurt yourself over there.” Alex deflated slightly. “And to answer your question, nope, it’s a very nice young man. And it’s been some time since I’ve been single, but in my opinion he was quite handsome.”

Alex puffed out his chest once more. “But not as handsome as me, right? I mean, that would be a crazy high bar to reach.”

Robin raised a single eyebrow. “I don’t… I have no idea how to respond to that. You can take a look for yourself when he gets here in a couple days. I need to get back to work.” She gestured to the construction equipment and the hammer in her hand slipped from her grasp.

“Whoa, careful there!” Alex rushed over to pick up the hammer and offered it to Robin’s outstretched hand. She snatched it from her grasp at a speed that he found borderline insulting. “Say, I have a little free time, would you like my help around here?”

“Oh. Um. Hmm.” She seemed to be searching for the right words to say. “It’s not that I don’t love the offer, you’re very sweet for trying to help, but all that I have left to do is some small things here and there. Things that require… dexterity and coordination.” Right. So definitely crossing the line into insult territory. As Alex’s face fell, Robin rushed to clarify. “Alex, dear, you know that you are infamous for how clumsy you are when you’re not playing gridball. It’s honestly impressive. And I know you’ve always been a good kid. I just really can’t afford any delays with this project and it’s a really important one.”

“Yeah, I get it. Stick to gridball, I’m not good at anything else.”  _ And sometimes not even that, _ the voice in his head continued. It was a voice he had tried his hardest to avoid for years. Robin closed the small gap between them and took his hands in hers.

“Hey.” Her voice was soft and comforting. “That statement isn’t true in the slightest. And honestly I would have welcomed your help a little earlier when I was lugging some of the heavier pieces of wood around.” She let go of with one hand to punch him playfully in the arm. “But right now, there’s nothing that I need anyone else’s help for. It’s not that it’s you, it’s just that this is a one-woman job from here on out.” Glancing over his shoulder at the ladder still lying on the ground, she continued, “and the clumsiness doesn’t make that statement any more or less true.”

Alex only heard some of her words from the moment she had grabbed his hands in her gloved ones. He hated to admit that the contact felt nice, and was trying to fight the blush threatening to form on his face. She stepped back and let go of his hands. He shook himself out of his stupor. “Okay, okay. Just let me know if you need anything else though.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and waved it around for emphasis. “I know you have my number, there’s no excuse.”

She was already halfway through the door and waved over her shoulder with a smile. “Will do. Just try to be your normal, welcoming self once he gets here. This is big for the valley!” And with that she was gone.

Alex stood staring at his hands for a moment more. The rough leather of her gloves was still fresh in his memory. After a few seconds, he sheepishly set the ladder back where it had been and started jogging back home, this time using the path towards the bus stop. The news that someone new was moving to town was thrilling. He wished it could be someone he could potentially woo, but beggars can’t be choosers. He suddenly remembered one key piece of information that he had previously ignored: the new farmer was moving from Zuzu City. Fuck, was it going to be another emo sadboy like Victor? Ugh, and if he just outright bought a farm and some land in the valley, he probably has money. Great. A most-likely rich snob from the big city coming here to play farmer and live amongst the simple folk. Maybe it would be best if Alex kept this one at arm’s length. At least until he had a little more of a guarantee that the guy wasn’t a douche. 

Satisfied with his plan, he continued home, the remainder of his jog uneventful. Grandma was already up by the time he returned and had a plate of scrambled eggs ready and waiting on the kitchen table. Damn, Grandma was the best. He tucked in, happy that this part of the day was normal even if everything else was changing.

\---

Victoria’s pacing was starting to drive Colton mad. The majority of his closet was spread out on every available surface in the apartment, where the clothing had been since his mother walked in to see him unceremoniously shoving things into suitcases.

“Honestly, my darling boy, why do I even give you these nice clothes if you’re just going to treat them so unkindly.” She gestured to a striped jacket that was now covered in creases. “Look at this! We’ll be lucky if we can ever get this to fall properly ever again. I’d better give my clothes care team a call.”

“Mom, I’ve told you so many times that you, in fact, don’t have to give me such fancy clothes all the time. You know I have no idea what to do with them anyway,” he grumbled.

His mother pinched the bridge of her nose and breathed in sharply. “Which is why,” her words were spaced out in a way that said I’m-trying-to-keep-my-cool-here, “there are these fun things called labels that tell you everything AND which is also why I just have an open tab for you at the dry cleaning place literally on this same block.” She swept her arms out dramatically. “You don’t have to know how to take care of them, that’s their area of expertise. You just hand it to them!” She picked up a pair of pants that had seen better days. “I can tell this went through the washer several times. It’s like you never learn.”

“Welp, I better learn fast because I don’t think there are any dry cleaners where I’m moving, so-” His mother cut him off before he could finish.

“Yes, yes, don’t think I didn’t think of that already. I have a service that will pick up your more delicate clothing items every other month or so, take care of them, and deliver them the next day. It was going to be weekly, but your father said that was excessive.” Colton offered a small prayer of thanks to his dad.

The chastising continued on for some time before his mother was satisfied, mostly because Colton ultimately agreed to all of his mother’s terms. He managed to get out of the conversation before she brought up how he was her son and he needed to dress the part and blah blah blah, so he counted the whole thing as a win. He didn’t know that the residents of Pelican Town would take kindly to flashy clothing, but he was still very attached to most of his wardrobe. 

He looked out the window at the twin moving trucks parked on the curb. One of them held Mel’s items. She had already managed to score a nice apartment in one of the nearby neighborhoods. She had turned down his parents’ offers to live in the guest house on their property, citing that they had already done more than enough by paying for her rent for the past several years. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that he’d seen his mother looking at a furniture catalogue and she should most likely expect her new apartment to be fully furnished by the time she got there.

The other truck was Colton’s. Most of the furniture in the house had been packed in already, his bed and his wardrobe being among the only exceptions. Well most of his wardrobe. His mom had taken over packing the clothes into neatly-organized hanging bags that then went into cardboard wardrobe boxes and she moved with terrifying speed. Several boxes were already joining the items on the truck and soon there would be nothing left to pack.

The big move was scheduled for the next morning. After breakfast, Colton’s bed would be packed into the truck and everything would be off to his new home. His parents had insisted on driving him themselves and Mel promised they would video chat once she was all settled in her apartment.

To say he was nervous would be an understatement, but there was also a large amount of excitement. His dad handed him a fancy glass (he was almost certain that it was brought from the house in Grampleton expressly for this purpose) and everyone gave a “Cheers!” to new beginnings. He drained the drink, something fizzy, sweet, and strongly alcoholic, in one gulp. To new beginnings indeed.


	5. Moving Pains

Mel’s SUV rolled to a gentle stop just outside the clearing in front of the farmhouse. The moving truck sat there already, the doors at the back thrown wide open as the two movers scurried back and forth, bringing the few pieces of furniture, random boxes filled with kitchen tools and decor, and, primarily, box after box of clothes. The weather was doing its best to cooperate. There was a thin layer of clouds blanketing the sky and the few rays of sun that peeked through provided warmth without being overbearingly hot.

Despite the overcast day, Colton had on his darkest sunglasses as he snoozed in the passenger seat. Something about moving vehicles always made him tired. He awoke to his mother leaning forward from the backseat to gain a clearer view through the windshield. 

“Hmmm, I see Robin made a few changes here and there, but this is undoubtedly my dad’s farmhouse.” She drummed repeatedly on Colton’s thigh. He jumped in surprise, partially dislodging the sunglasses. “Oh, this is so exciting! Last one there is a rotten egg!” Without waiting for anyone else to respond, Victoria opened her door and took off at a sprint toward the front porch.

After a brief beat of silence, Mel threw open her door and ran after her, cackling the whole way. Colton and his dad were much slower to process the recent developments and stared in bewilderment at the two women already shouting in victory from the porch.

Charles chuckled softly to himself. “It’s nice to see that she’s still got that youthful energy. Go on ahead, I’ll take the loss this round. It wouldn’t do to start your new life on such a low note, now would it?” He busied himself gathering the various snacks and wrappers scattered around the car.

The passenger door handle was the same as it ever had been, yet the door popping open seemed more momentous than the quiet click suggested. As Colton stood on the grass, he found it silly to think that he was any different from who he was just seconds before and yet, as he looked out across the clearing to the young trees and bramble surrounding the house, he could feel his connections to his past life fade like footprints on a beach. The air held none of the exhaust-filled breezes he was used to. The once-familiar smell of a neighborhood pizza shop was miles and miles away, replaced with pine and dirt and unknown pollen that Colton’s allergies would probably come to hate in time.

Even the breeze seemed to be welcoming him home, lightly stirring his hair enough to be noticeable, but not enough to ruin his hairstyle completely. Clearly, this particular breeze had taste. Or it was just a difference in barometric pressures with no claim to sentience. One or the other. He was broken from his odd internal monologue by Mel’s impatience.

“Dude. Are you just going to stand there forever, or are you going to come inside? Look, Robin fixed your door.” The shiny paint on the bright red door was indeed impressive. To illustrate her point, Mel opened and closed the door repeatedly.

He had to admit that Robin had done a wonderful job. The burnt-orange roof showed no signs of the years it had sat untouched and unrepaired. A frankly unwieldy amount of firewood was stacked under a lean-to on the far left side of the porch that now looked strong enough to support whatever nature could throw at it. In short, the farmhouse now looked like it could actually sustain human life again. A life where Colton wouldn’t have to fight back towering weeds just to get to the front door.

“Mel, do you maybe wanna move out of the way so these very patient people can get on with their lives?” Colton gestured to the movers that were waiting inside the doorway that Mel continued to open and close. She at least had the decency to look sheepish as she stepped out of the way to let them pass.

“Oops, sorry, my dudes.” She leaned against the porch railing as they began hauling in a table. “I couldn’t help but get carried away. Remember how awful everything was before?? I literally thought I was going to get tetanus just by looking at it. But now? Whisper silent door, intact flooring, a roof that doesn’t have accidental skylights. Like, obviously, you paid enough for it, but to see it all come together is really nice.”

Victoria, who had by now traveled indoors to instruct the movers on how to arrange the furniture, stuck her head back outside. “An excellent point, Melissa. You never did tell me exactly how much all of this cost, Colton.” She held out a manicured hand. “Do you have a copy of the invoice? I want to see what Robin’s current rates are in case we find something else that needs doing before you get all settled. Ooh, come to think of it, what were the quotes you got from other contractors? Maybe we can start a little bidding war.”

While his mother’s questioning did not seem to have an ulterior motive, Colton felt sheepish nonetheless. He quietly mumbled a reply.

“Darling, speak up, I didn’t quite catch what you said. That can just go by the closet with the others, thank you.” She joined them outside to make way for the man lugging in the seventh box full of clothes. “Do you only have a paper copy of the quotes or something? I can just take a picture with my phone, it’s fine.”

“I said…”, he trailed off again into an unintelligible mumble.

“Colton, sweetie, please tell me we aren’t going back to that shy mumbling phase, we worked for hours and hours every night when you were little to get past that. You haven’t had any issues in years!”

Colton rubbed the back of his neck. “No! I mean, no, I’m fine. Just, uh, a little embarrassed to say that I don’t have any quotes… to show you.” He looked to Mel for support, who shrugged and pretended to be deeply invested in examining the widow shutter. Traitor. He slowly pulled the crumpled bill from his backpack and passed it over.

After a moment of skimming, Victoria pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. “No, not the bill, the actual contract. You know, signatures, estimated completion date, blueprints, the works.”

“Well… that’s all I got, so.” Colton shrugged.

A small twitch at the corner of her mouth was the only indication that his mother had just experienced all five stages of grief at once. She turned and watched her husband approach, laden down with bags. 

“Hey guys! Why are you all still on the porch, let’s go explore the new place!” His smile was met with an awkward silence as the three other people on the porch appeared to be doing their best to avoid talking to anyone else. “Did something happen while I was gone? It’s been two minutes.”

Victoria shook out of her state and pressed a quick kiss to her husband’s cheek. “Oh no, no, don’t worry, dear. We just raised a fool, it seems. Give him a minute and he’ll be sending all of his savings to some foreign prince.”

“Mom! That’s totally not fair -”

“Ah yes, that’s right, you already gave your entire savings to a woman you just met who promised to fix up this house with very few specifics put down in writing and a smile. Did I mix up the details?” Colton’s uncomfortable shuffling was answer enough. Luckily, his dad was always there to save the day.

“Well, it looks like she did pretty solid work here. And you remember Robin, sweetie, she’s good people. It’s not fair to compare her to some random stranger.” He shifted the bags on his back and looped both his wife and his son into a hug/headlock combo. “Look at us! Such a happy family here to celebrate a happy event. And going inside now to continue being happy!” He dragged everyone through the front door, herding Mel inside at the same time and leaving little room for argument.

Once he wiggled his way out of his dad’s grasp, Colton was able to get his first good look at his new home. The living space was, essentially, one large room - a combination of living room and kitchen. While the walls were largely obstructed by boxes, the stubborn rays of sunlight peeking between them promised that the space would be well-lit with natural light on a sunny day. A large fireplace took up a third of the back wall, and a fire was cheerily crackling in the grate. Aside from the door they had just entered, there was only one other doorway off to the right. The movers were lugging Colton’s mattress into that room at the moment. The entire space seemed cozy and inviting. It didn’t take much mental effort to imagine how comfortable the space would be once everything was unpacked.

His mother, however, seemed committed to her disdain. “Well it certainly looks good on the surface, at least. Let’s just hope the work will actually hold.” She continued glancing around, no doubt looking for something else to call out.

Charles saw his opportunity to steer the conversation towards more lighthearted topics while his wife was occupied with her investigation. “Ooh, look! It seems Robin left a little housewarming gift.” Sure enough, there was a small wicker basket containing a variety of packages and containers. Colton could see a bottle of wine, a smaller bottle that appeared to be cooking oil of some sort, an assortment of seed packets, a tiny loaf of an unidentifiable baked good, and - the item his father had grabbed immediately - a bag of coffee beans. 

His father beamed like he had just won the lottery, brandishing the bag in a victory pose. “Who wants a cup??”

Victoria grumbled a few words to herself. They were mostly indecipherable, but “fair trade” and “espresso” reached Colton’s ears.

“Actually,” continued Charles, “your mother and I are gonna go on a little walk outside. Catch a bit of fresh air while you take in all the newness, hmm?” While his mother seemed as if she was about to protest, in a matter of seconds both of his parents were outside and the door clicked closed with a gentle click.

With a sigh, Colton let his forehead thud into the nearest wall, adding to the stress headache that had already been building. No matter what he had tried to say, his parents insisted on seeing him to the new house. And, truth be told, since they were funding the move, he didn’t have much ground to tell them what to do. He knew his mother in particular would come around eventually, he just hoped she would get there sooner rather than later.

Another presence joined the wall beside him, and he turned slightly to see Mel stuffing her face with the baked good from the basket. On closer inspection, it looked like some type of banana bread. “Sure, help yourself to the treats, you are an ever-welcome guest in my home.”

She smirked through the last few crumbs, licking her fingers clean before replying. “Heavyweight champion of sarcastic delivery! There were walnuts in it, you wouldn’t have eaten it anyway. What you really need to focus on is stopping this,” she waved a hand to indicate essentially his entire body, “pity party thing you’ve got going on and focus on what your new life here is gonna be like! We’ll all be out of your hair like right after dinner anyway, it’s not worth fussing over.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right but ugh who knew these few hours would feel like an eternity?”

“Well, I figured and so did probably anyone that’s seen your whole family interact for more than 5 minutes. But you all end up on the same page in the end, I think it’s like a genetic thing that you have to be so dramatic about everything in the interim.”

Colton pouted. “We are not dramatic!”

“Dude, you’ve given yourself a red mark from supporting most of your weight on this wall using your forehead.” She lightly flicked between his eyebrows to reinforce her point. He did his best to avoid showing how painful that really was. “And it’s been ten minutes tops since you walked in the door. Come on, I’ll help you with kitchen stuff before I have to go, that’s usually the most annoying room.”

“You’re the best. You know that, right? I feel like I don’t mention it enough.” He pushed off the wall to follow Mel toward the kitchen area.

“Well, you could always afford to mention it more frequently, but, trust me, I know.”

The two set to work unpacking the neatly labeled boxes and filling up every drawer and cabinet within reach. They found the coffee grinder and coffee machine and set it up along with an assortment of mismatched mugs, flagging down the movers to invite them to grab a cup if they wanted. About an hour, several empty boxes, and one very large and unsteady stack of crumpled newspaper later, the kitchen was in a semblance of order.

The movers, having finished just a short time ago, had returned their copy of the house keys and were taking a breather on the front porch before starting their drive back home. As the sunlight through the windows took on a deeper orange hue, Colton’s parents returned from their walk.

As soon as they were inside, Charles gently nudged his wife. Victoria cleared her throat. “Right. I would like to apologize for my little… outburst earlier. The house looks lovely, we support you, and I understand that not everyone is fortunate enough to have impeccable taste in coffee.” Her husband rolled his eyes at the last comment but seemed satisfied.

“Uh, thanks? We finished unpacking the kitchen, you’re welcome to have some of that ‘subpar’ coffee if you’d like. It’s actually pretty good.” The suggestion was worth it for the brief look of revulsion that crossed his mom’s face.

“No, no. Wouldn’t want to ruin dinner. Speaking of, I think we’d best be off if we want to make it to the old saloon before we starve to death!” Victoria turned back toward the front door. “Aren’t you all coming?” She led the way outside, stopping to hand the movers a sizable tip and wishing them a safe drive home. They tipped their hats and clambered into the cab of the truck, which rumbled to life soon after before driving off down the old dirt road.

The walk to Pelican Town proper was pleasant, if a bit chilly now that the sun was setting. The conversation remained jovial and positive, and before they knew it the doors of the Stardrop Saloon stood before them.

The interior was homey, if a little outdated, and a cheerful man with an enormous moustache greeted them from behind the bar. “Please, take a seat wherever you’d like!” His hand swung out in a wide arc encompassing the entirety of the large central room. Despite the time, the saloon was mostly empty. An older woman sat at one end of the bar wearing a facial expression that looked to be expressly crafted for the purpose of keeping polite conversation away. Behind the bar, a young woman with bright blue hair swayed back and forth, quietly humming a song to herself while she cleaned an assortment of glasses. Mayor Lewis sat at a table near the door and gave a small wave as the group walked in, but seemed much more interested in the brunette sitting at the same table who was animatedly talking with explosive hand movements.

Mel all but dragged them all to a booth in the corner near a fireplace and, yep, that was a taxidermy bear. “Come on, everyone knows that booths are the superior seating option and you have to admit this is a kickass bear, there’s no other choice.” She flopped down at the table with a dramatic sigh. “Moving is the worssst, I could probably eat a whole horse.”

Colton sat next to her, giving the bear a cautious side-eye as he did, and picked up one of the menus stacked near the wall. “Hmmm, I don’t see any horse-based entrees on the menu, so it seems like you’ll have to settle for your second choice. Luckily, I’ve seen textbooks smaller than this menu, so there’s lots to pick from.” The menu was indeed massive, though the organization left much to be desired.

While the two friends traded sarcastic gibes, Victoria and Charles took their own seats at the table and began flipping quickly between the pages. “Well, it’s nice to see that some things never change! They still have all of my old stand-bys on offer.” She out down the menu, already confident in her order, and glanced around the room. “I know this is going to sound ridiculous after just praising the lack of change, but wow they really haven’t changed  _ anything _ . I mean, not even a coat of paint in, how many years has it been, darling?”

Charles was no longer visible behind his menu, flipping back and forth with extreme focus. “Hmm? I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“Honestly, dear, you do this every time we’re here and we all know you’re going to order the same exact thing. I was asking how long it had been since we were last here.”

If his wife’s remarks made it through his indecision, Charles made no indication that he was abandoning the menu anytime soon. He was very quick to answer, however. “About 20 years, give or take. Did I ever try the salmon? Is it salmon season?”

“20 years, my goodness, we are so old!” Everyone continued musing over their dinner options. Clearly dissatisfied with this lack of response, Victoria cleared her throat and pointedly repeated, “I said, wow we are getting so old! Practically ready for the crypt.” She gave a wry chuckle, staring at the top of everyone’s heads in turn. The responses cascaded out at once.

“Mom, you’re being dramatic.”

“Honey, we’re hardly old.”

“WHAT, you’re the leading seller in the fashion world, your finger is on the pulse of modernity!”

Colton elbowed Mel under the table. “Overselling it much?”

His mother seemed satisfied and steepled her fingers together. “Well, if you all say so, it must be true!” She picked at some non-existent lint on her jacket as the young woman from behind the bar walked up.

“Hi there, welcome to the Stardrop! I can’t say I’ve seen you around before, is this your first time?” She was all at once vibrating with excitement and at the same time seemed to be a million miles away, but her interest was genuine and her smile was kind.

“Emily, dearest is that you?”

“Oh, um, how did you know my name? You definitely don’t live around here, I’d know for sure!” She turned her gaze to Colton, confusion clearly spelled across her eyes. He could only offer a shrug in return.

Victoria laughed. “He wouldn’t recognize you, Emily, he was so young back then too. My father used to own Embercrest Farm. I can hardly recognize you from so long ago, you were just a little girl. How are your parents? They used to be friends of mine. And even without all of that, you  _ are _ wearing a nametag.”

  
Emily blushed a deep red color, not sure how to handle this terrifying woman that seemed to know so much about her. She latched onto the one question like a lifeline. “Oh! Well welcome back then. My parents have been traveling the world for a while. We get a card every now and then, they seem like they’re doing well!” Her chuckle was awkward, but she quickly remembered where she was and pulled out a small notepad. “Have you, um, decided what you’d like to eat today?”

After taking their orders, Emily quickly scurried away. The remainder of the dinner was unremarkable, and the food was actually quite good. Despite her high standards, Victoria devoured her eggplant parmesan and left not a scrap behind. Charles had ordered a full breakfast spread, as he did at every single restaurant, and scraped the last of his meal onto Mel and Colton’s plates after they were practically licking the scraps of their dishes.

“Well then,” Charles clapped his hands together, “it seems like we ought to wrap things up pretty soon if we’re gonna make it back to Grampleton tonight.” He looked over to Mel. “That is, unless our chauffeuse is not up to the task. I suppose we could arrange a semi-comfortable pile of boxes to crash on for the night.” He broke into a conspiratorial smile at Victoria’s squawk of indignation in the background.

Mel looked up from her third cup of coffee with a quirked eyebrow. “It’s like 8pm, geez maybe I was wrong and you guys really are old. The Mel Express runs for like 8 more hours.”

Victoria waved down Emily and handed her several bills. “That should cover it, dearest, keep the change. If it’s way too much, well, then happy whatever holiday is next. Mel, I will take you up on that ride offer and we will discuss your unhealthy sleep habits at a later date.” And without another word, she stood from the table and headed out the front door.

The group made it back to the car without any fuss. And, after a quick bathroom break, Colton realized he was at the point in the evening where he had to face his parent’s probably-too-tearful goodbye.

His father walked over and pulled him into a tight hug. “You’re gonna do great, just give us a call if you need anything.” And with one final nod, he ducked into the car. Okay, so maybe only one goodbye would be painful.

Almost as soon as the thought entered his mind, Colton was face-to-face with a tear-soaked Victoria. “My beautiful son, why is this happening again?”

“Mom, I have literally never moved to a farm in my life, also you’re welcome to stay for a bit. You could sleep on the couch.”

“Ah, listen to you and your ridiculous ideas! I mean, really. Me? Sleeping on a couch? Those years are past. And no, I’m not talking about moving to this farm, I’m talking about goodbyes. It seems like you’re always leaving and barely ever staying.”

“You could just,” he gestured back to the farmhouse, “come visit? You act like I’m never around but I visit home almost monthly. I’ve been really busy at work up until now and starting tomorrow I’m going to try to turn this overgrown land into something productive.”

His mother stamped her foot several times and sported an impressive pout. “I know, and I’m proud, your father’s proud, we’re all proud! I just worry that I’ll be forgotten. Or that you’ll be killed by a random ruffian from the woods and no one will find your corpse for days. You know, normal mother things.”

While he figured that it was a lost cause, Colton decided that direct honesty might be a better approach. “Look mom, what is it that you want to hear? Do you want me to give up on all of this and live at home so you can see me whenever you want?”

Surprisingly, this seemed to get through her spiral of sadness better than any of the dozens of times that they had rehashed this tired line of reasoning. “I’m not saying that at all, sweetie. And I’m sorry that you feel pressured. I’ll back down for now, just promise you’ll keep in touch?”

“Ha, yeah I can do that.” He pulled her into a hug. “Now you better hurry, you’re going to miss your bus.”

Mel chose that moment to move away from the side of the car where she had been organizing a playlist for the drive back. “Okay, okay, you two, break it up. Let me get my hug in there too.” Nudging Victoria aside, she gave a hug and a quick peck on the cheek before whispering in Colton’s ear, “refer to my car as a bus again and I’ll burn down your house.” Turning around she said, much louder this time, “love you!” before hopping into the driver’s seat.

Figuring that this signaled the end of the goodbyes, Colton was surprised to find his mom standing nearby holding something behind her back. “Don’t worry, we’re still heading out but I just have one final gift. Close your eyes.” Doing as he was told, Colton suddenly felt something hard and heavy pressed into his hands. “Okay now open them!” 

In his hands was… a baseball bat? “Uh, mom what is this for, you know I play precisely zero sports.” The object in question was made of a light-colored wood and offered no explanation for its existence on closer examination.

“While I  _ suppose _ you could play sports, this is mostly for protection. Keep it by your bed and never underestimate the worth of a well-timed baseball bat to the head.”

“Hmmm, a lot to unpack there, which I will do. Another day. Thanks, mom.” He pulled her in for another hug and gave her a kiss on top of her head.

“Enough of that, I’m going now. I love you, Cole.” She climbed into the car, sticking her head out the window only seconds later. “Don’t forget to lock your doors at night. And don’t talk to strangers. But don’t be a loner, dear, that’s not healthy! Do you have my phone number?”

“I’ve had it since you got me a phone, yes.”

Mel decided to take pity on her friend and began slowly driving back toward the highway. Victoria, undeterred, continued to yell out advice presumably long after the car was swallowed up by the surrounding trees.

For the first time ever, Colton was entirely alone on the farm. Just him, a baseball bat, and one creepy-looking owl that decided to alight on a branch nearby. It observed him silently and coldly. Yeah, maybe inside was better just now. Colton would forever deny that he ran inside to stop having to think about the surrounding nighttime. He was just cold. Yes. Cold.

Safe inside, he set the bat down on a nearby stack of boxes and looked around his house.  _ His house.  _ The words still felt foreign in his mouth, like the concept hadn’t fully sunk in yet. He picked up the empty coffee mugs and set them in the sink, a problem for tomorrow-Colton. He headed toward the bedroom, stopping to make sure the fireplace was entirely out. Luckily it was. He had to admit that if it had not been, he wasn’t entirely sure what he would have done. Maybe poured water on it? Whatever, it wasn’t an issue anymore. 

Standing up, his eyes caught on a small green object on the mantel. He picked it up to examine it closer. It was strangely warm, though he supposed it had been sitting above a fire for several hours. Or had it? He definitely didn’t remember it being there earlier. But he shrugged, he’d probably just missed it earlier. It looked like a bright green apple but it had a tiny face and… arms and legs? Weird. Maybe it was another odd housewarming gift from Robin. A tiny decoration from some local shop, perhaps. He put it back in its place before continuing into his bedroom.

More stacks of boxes met his tired eyes. And while Mel could run late into the night on nothing but coffee and sheer willpower, Colton certainly could not. He searched through the labels written in permanent marker until he found the one that read ‘bedding’ and tore it open. He made his bed in record time and collapsed under the comforter, clothes still on. Without any tossing and turning, Colton swiftly ended the first day in his new home.

\---

Back in the living room, the green object began to carefully sneak off of the fireplace mantel. The tiny creature tried their best to stay quiet as they squeezed underneath the window and dashed toward the forest. There was a new occupant in the old farmhouse after years of neglect. One that could see the spirits of the forest, no less! This was news-worthy indeed, and the other spirits needed to know immediately. The green spirit bounced rapidly between ground cover towards the rundown community center in the distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, what a pause between chapters! But we got there. And I have more of the next chapter already started, so hopefully the wait won't be as long for the next one.


End file.
